Career Connections: Eagles Get Inside Look at Industry Leaders Through Embry-Riddle Events

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student Jonathan Batista got an unforgettable look at how aviation saves lives while flying with a Metro Aviation medical flight crew across Florida.

“I got to witness firsthand what their day-to-day operations are like, including landing on rooftops and parking lots as they transported patients between hospitals,” said Batista, a senior Aeronautical Science student from Dighton, Massachusetts. “It was truly an eye-opening experience, and it helped me gain a new perspective on flying.”

Batista’s experience was part of Eagle Job Shadow Day, a popular event hosted by Embry-Riddle’s Center for Career and Professional Development. The event is part of the center's efforts to expose Embry-Riddle students to marquee companies in Florida and across the nation.

"Our goal is to expand opportunities for students to connect with employers,” said Heather A. Kim, senior executive director of the center. “Experiential learning — through internships and employer visits — significantly boosts students' chances of securing jobs.”

Nearly 200 Eagles visited top aerospace and aviation companies, as well as other industry leaders, through two events held this spring: Alternative Spring Break and Eagle Job Shadow Day. Site visits held during student breaks are a new initiative, said Kim, while Eagle Job Shadow Day, which has been held annually for a few years, expanded significantly in scope this year.

“Students learn about the culture of the company and meet executives and Eagle alumni,” said Kim. “The opportunities are endless to engage students in this way, and students love it.”

Flexjet hosted Eagle Job Shadow Day students at its office in the MicaPlex at the Research Park on the Daytona Beach Campus. (Photo: Embry Riddle/Center for Career and Professional Development)

A Talent Showcase

This year’s Eagle Job Shadow Day connected more than 90 students from the Daytona Beach Campus to 16 companies across Florida.

“This is a way to showcase our talented Embry-Riddle students to local employers,” said Allison Austin, executive director of the Center for Career and Professional Development. “We started these events because we needed to get our students in front of employers for them to recognize how talented our students are.”

Students spend the day shadowing professionals in various fields at companies about an hour’s drive from campus, everywhere from Jacksonville to Orlando and Merritt Island. Austin said the event has grown in popularity among both students and companies.

Inaki Bercian, an Aviation Business Administration student, said participating in the job shadow event with United Airlines “was one of the most exciting experiences” he has had at Embry-Riddle.

“Being behind the scenes with industry professionals gave me a whole new appreciation for the complexity and teamwork behind every flight,” he said.

Meanwhile, Eagle Job Shadow Day employers, like Flexjet, had the opportunity to meet with students and recruit top candidates for internships and job opportunities. Flexjet hosted Eagle Job Shadow Day students at its office in the MicaPlex at the Research Park on the Daytona Beach Campus.

Benigno Digon, an Embry-Riddle alumnus and software engineer at Flexjet, said the event provided students with a unique experience to explore potential career paths and gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities available within the industry. Digon earned his bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Embry-Riddle in 2023, followed by his master's degree in Cybersecurity Engineering in 2024.

“It was an honor to engage with students on Eagle Job Shadow Day and share insights into a day in the life of a Flexjet employee,” said Digon.

Nearly 100 students participated in visits to companies in Florida and along the Atlantic Coast. This spring’s employer visits included Textron’s TRU Simulation in Tampa. (Photo: Embry Riddle/Center for Career and Professional Development)

Behind-the-Scenes Access

Nearly 100 students also participated in the Career Center’s Alternative Spring Break, which included visits to companies around Florida and up the Atlantic Coast. This spring’s employer visits in Florida included NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Space Florida in Brevard County, Honeywell Aerospace in Clearwater, and Textron’s TRU Simulation in Tampa.

“Textron's participation in the Embry-Riddle Alternative Spring Break opportunity underscores the company's commitment to nurturing early career talent and integrating them into its workforce strategy,” said Amelia Frueh, a Textron university relations associate.

Textron is a multi-industry company serving the aerospace, defense, industrial and finance sectors. TRU Simulation is a Textron affiliate that builds training devices for business aviation, helicopter and military markets.

“Textron's internship program is pivotal to this strategy, as it aims to identify and hire the right individuals who can contribute to the company's growth and innovation,” Frueh said.

Outside of Florida, Alternative Spring Break visits were hosted at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAVAIR) in Maryland, as well as Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and CAE, a provider of training and simulation solutions, in Savannah, Georgia.

Jim Pamplona, an accelerated master's student in Software Engineering from Guam, participated in last year’s Alternative Spring Break. The experience led to him landing an internship with GA Telesis, a multinational aviation company he visited.

“About a week after the trip, I received an internship offer from GA Telesis,” said Pamplona. “It taught me that being present, engaged and willing to explore new experiences can lead to life-changing moments when you least expect them.”

An Alternative Fall Break program held in October brought students to Jet Blue University and United Airlines in Orlando, plus an Alternative Winter Break program allowed students to visit NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Grace Rheuban, who is pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Aviation Management and a Master of Science in Aerospace Business Analytics, attended last year’s Alternative Spring Break. She said the experience helped her land a summer internship and shaped her aviation business career goals.

“The site visits were more than just tours. They gave us behind-the-scenes insight into operations, aircraft asset management and corporate strategy,” said Rheuban. “This experience was pivotal for me. It helped connect what I was learning in the classroom to real-world applications and directly influenced my career path.”

Prescott and Worldwide students have attended employer visits to sites like NAVAIR and the Johnson Space Center, plus there have been visits to SpaceX in California and Flexjet and GE Aerospace in Ohio, said Kim, who oversees career services at all Embry-Riddle campuses.

Embry-Riddle’s Prescott Campus also coordinates employer visits to major aerospace employers with sites in Arizona, such as Honeywell Aerospace Technologies and Gulfstream.

Another new initiative that aims to connect employers with top Eagle talent is the Eagle Career Champions Program (ECCP), which invites companies to partner at different levels with the Center for Career and Professional Development. More than a dozen companies have joined in the past year, said Kim, including United Airlines, which is a partner at both the Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses.

The funding assists with costs for the employer site visits to make events like Alternative Spring Break free and accessible to all students, she said. There is also a Co-op /Internship Assistance Program to provide students with financial assistance for expenses during internships.

“We want to partner with employers to bring their hiring needs to our outstanding graduates,” Kim said.

Posted In: Aviation | Business | Engineering | Space